Browse:

This article may contain affiliate links which support this site at no cost to you.

These easy to make candles are perfect for your 4th of July celebrations. Add citronella or eucalyptus to help keep the bugs away. Then make sure to check out the rest of almost 100 red, white, and blue crafts for a truly patriotic day!

I am so excited to be participating in the Red, White, and Blue Food, Decor, and Craft Ideas hop. I have teamed up with almost 100 other bloggers to provide with the best red, white and blue ideas for the summer. Just scroll to the end of the post to find the links to the rest of the projects and recipes!

This summer, I have been experimenting in candle making. I started with DIY Citronella candles for our camping trips this summer. I had so much fun making them, that I decided to add a little color for the 4th of July. My kids helped me make them and we had a ball crafting together.

Start by cutting up the crayons in to the smallest pieces you possibly can. I think it would work best to grate it but I don't have a grater I use just for crafting so we just cut them up. The crayons really just didn't want to melt and the smaller pieces helped them along.

If you want brighter more intense colors, use 2 crayons. The wax really lightens the colors. I used disposable bowls to color the wax so I didn't need to worry about clean up.

Once the crayons are ready, prep the jars. You will notice in a few photos that I forgot to put in the wicks until the last layer of wax. UGH. I was so annoyed!

So get the wicks in the jars before you start melting wax. I used a pencil to keep the wick standing up in the middle while the wax set.

Next, melt the wax. I concocted this double boiler using an empty coffee can. I didn't want to clean off wax from my good pots.

Fill a pot with an inch or two of water and bring it to a simmer. Meanwhile, put the wax in the coffee can. I really didn't measure. I just put wax in. I'm very precise like that.

Put the coffee can in the pot and let the wax melt completely. It will turn clear when it's melted.

Work with only one color at a time. I started with blue on the bottom.

Pour about a third of the wax in to the bowl with the blue crayon. Use wooden sticks to mix and not have to worry about cleaning up. You can just toss them.

Once the crayon is melted, slowly pour the blue the wax in to the jar. Put the jar in the fridge to let it set. Make sure it completely cooled before you begin the next layer.

Repeat the same process for white and red, but you won't need to color the white wax. I added citronella oil to the white and red wax layers for a little bug protection.

It was at this point that I realized I had forgotten the wick! Don't be me! Put the wick in before you begin. Let the wax cool in the fridge between each layer.

And that's it! Your red, white and blue candles are ready to decorate your 4th of July tables or help light the night.

Now, make sure to check out the rest of these red, white, and blue recipes and crafts!

Not only are these super cute but they serve a good purpose too! My four year old and I definitely need these because mosquitoes seem to think we’re delicious…LOL! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Share The Wealth Sunday! xoxo

I’ve been leery of getting into making candles as I’m sure I’ll get quickly addicted. Just looks so intimidating….but your tutorial makes this look much easier then I thought it would be! Plus the end result is so pretty 🙂

I am so excited I found this! I have been on the hunt for citronella candles for weeks and haven’t found anything. I thought about making them but had no clue how. Now I’m going to give candle making a try. Thanks !!!

These are perfect for July! Great idea to add citronella or eucalyptus to keep the bugs away. Making outdoor candles is on my to-do list, so reading your tips definitely helped. I could totally see myself forgetting to put the wick in! I am co-hosting a new link party every Tuesday at 7pm. We’d love for you to join us!

Hi! Found you via The Kim Fix Six and love these! A couple of questions. How much citronella oil do you use for them to be effective? And does the wax not melt styrofoam bowl? Pinning this and can’t wait to try!

Hi Caroline! Good questions. I live in Nevada and we don’t really have mosquitoes. 🙂 So mine are packed for camping over the 4th. But I used 6-8 drops (2-3 drops per layer). They smell lightly of citronella so I don’t think it’d hurt to use more. But I will report back after camping with them. The wax does not get hot enough to melt the bowls and it begins to cool immediately so you have to work kind of quickly when mixing the colors. I had leftovers in the bowl because it was cooling.